EUTHANASIA FOR DEMENTED PERMITTED

Under strict conditions it is now legal in The Netherlands to carry out euthanasia on people with dementia.. The Dutch boards of Attorney Generals decided to stop prosecuting a doctor who helped a pa tient with Alzheimer disease with suicide. The boards stated that Alzheimer itself is not an indication to carry out euthanasia, unless a doctor can come up with a well-founded case were a pa tient suffers psychologically and the situation is unbearable and hopeless.

The pa tient was 64 years old and had the first symptoms of Alzheimer disease. Because both pa rents also were Alzheimer pa tients, the pa tient feared a future of mental deterioration. It is the first time that the Dutch boards of Attorney Generals expresses itself about euthanasia for people with dementia. The diagnosis in the dementia case that was dealt with was inadequate because the doctor did not made clear enough that that pa tients was suffering. Because he was very open with the Public prosecutor and his manner had been verifiable, the board decided to drop the case.

Because of the population of Holland is ageing it is expected that the requests for euthanasia will rise, the Dutch doctors union stated that euthanasia for demented should be seriously discussed. The chairman of the doctors union: ‘It can be a gigantic dilemma. Just imagine that a pa tients indicates that he wants to have euthanasia from the moment he does not recognises the family anymore. When the person is demented and lives in a nursing home, but happily drinks coffee and smokes cigars, can euthanasia be carried out on the basis of the earlier declaration? Is a heavy dementia pa tient suffering or not? During a congress of the Dutch Docters Union that is organised these days, these questions will be discussed.

The Dutch Doctors Union also stated that there should be clearer rules on the terminal anaesthesia. In this case the dying pa tient gets so much pa inkillers that he dies unconsciousness. Research namely proofs that many doctors utilise terminal anaesthesia as an alternative for euthanasia. In this way they escape the obliged reporting at the special checking commission. Because of this practice some of the Dutch pa rties already asked the government to change the actual euthanasia legislation. more features

May 2, 2004